Perfectly Imperfect Day
by Writer of green
Summary: Some days you truly need perspective...other days all you need is a beach day.


**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here; no infringement was intended. This is just for fun.**

**A/N: This is directly after the last episode I saw, which was 'Backstab' I believe. I really wanted to explore the relationship I saw blooming (perhaps it's only my head, haha) between Tara and Benster; it just struck as one of those once-in-a-life-time bonds. I have only been ever so relaxed and comfortable enough to speak my mind, whatever comes from that, with maybe two people. As much as I think that Christian and Tara are positively adorable together, I kind of wanted to know what would happen if Tara were to move on from Ethan and Christian and maybe come to see that not all relationships have to be so antagonistic, but maybe they just are easy. So forget all that if you want, not too important, lol. Hope you enjoy :)**

He was there. Beyond all the pain and cloudy excuses, Tara could not ignore the fact that he had been there; exclusive, all to her own, he had been the one person she'd thought to invite, the one person who willingly came, and the one person who defended her to Saskia. He had seen it; that one defining moment of her life that would, from now on, dictate much of her time. Even if she hadn't danced in that night, trying to prove Saskia wrong, she still would have been barred from dance, and somehow she felt that that would have hurt more than simply being banned from the academy like she was now. However, either way, she knew that once they discovered her injury, she would have been sent away in a flash. There was no escaping it: she would no longer dance, and the fact that her now ex-best friend Kat and her ex-boyfriend Christian were together was just frosting on the cake. The only light in an already darkened and hopeless place was, inevitably, Ben.

It was kind of funny, she had to admit; before now, before any of this, she would not have even considered allowing him to visit her at the farm. They were dance partners it was true, and she had been spending a lot of time with him, but she just hadn't considered them close enough. These days he was the only person she longed to see the moment she woke up, the one person who made her forget all about her back, all about her expulsion, and all about the new Kat and Christian combo; he simply was the antithesis to all of it, and made it better, somehow. She had to smile even just thinking of it.

This particular morning Ben had decided to take her on a journey. After refusing to tell her, Tara endured a terribly rough and long drive, her back throbbing by the time they came to their destination. All she had to do was smell the air and she knew: they were back in Sydney and in walking distance of the beach. "I thought you could use the diversion," Ben explained upon receiving her withering stare, a little guiltily but jovial all the same. She smiled slightly, but maintained her previous stance: "I already told you I don't want to see anyone or be anywhere near the studio!" He quickly unlocked the truck and hopped out, jogging round until he was close enough to open her door and help her out. "But we're not extremely near such abominable thing; and besides, the beach is the ultimate place to unwind! We used to go here every weekend, remember?" Tara relented, smiling thankfully at him and hoping she didn't have to say anything. Ben grinned and took out their bags before leading her out onto the sun-heated sand.

It was the perfect day, Tara decided, gazing out at the glimmering ocean only feet away from their chosen spot to camp. The sun was bright orange and looked almost painted by watercolors as nothing seemed precise, but rather dripping and uneven. The ocean, too, seemed indefinite but that had always been the best part of it. It was vague and careless, so strongly wild and crazy, that it was almost just like ballet: everything glorious and beautiful, but almost unrepeatable and elusive. Ben had spread out the blanket and Tara piled on all their things, including a picnic basket, before he convinced her to go swimming. They stripped off their jeans and t-shirts and ran towards the water, Ben simply dove in and Tara waded. He ended up splashing her so she retaliated mercilessly and they started a water fight of epic proportions. When they were completely drenched, Tara leaned against Ben's shoulder and they remained in the water for awhile, savoring the moment and the warmth of the sun. "You have to admit you at least miss this place," he said softly, brushing a stray strand away from her eyes. She didn't respond, instead thinking about how nice the water felt and wondering why she felt so soft to him. He tried to get her to dance a little, but she stubbornly marched away from the water and straight to their blanket. Once she was wrapped in a blanket and trying to pry open the ice-box, Ben joined her. He opened it for her and handed her a drink and a sandwich. They talked a little as they ate, but nothing really new was said. There seemed to be an elephant in the room that was weighing heavy on the air, and it was almost difficult to breathe. Tara knew what this day was actually about; as much as Ben wanted her to feel better and to spend the day with him, he really didn't want her to give up on her dream. Even if it meant taking classes elsewhere, even if it meant running to Miss Raine and begging on her knees, or even if it mean going out for a different sport; he had told her before, he would support her in anything, but as long as she was doing something. "It's what of the main things we have in common," he'd told her one night that they'd spent cuddling on the couch. "We're dance partners; we wouldn't have met otherwise." She understood where he was coming from, and maybe she wanted it, too, but there was something else that on her mind.

"Do you think I'm any good?" Ben looked up at her, startled perhaps by the interruption of their comfortable silence; they didn't always need words, everything was fine in the moment. With him she could be quiet and nothing would change. "In dancing, I mean." Ben's eyebrows furrowed and he thought it over quietly, taking another bite of his sandwich. "Of course you are," he responded off-handedly. "Why would you think otherwise? You're at the National Australian Academy for Dance! That's got to count for something." Tara nodded, but she wasn't done. "I'm not as good as I was last year; back then I was on top, now I can't seem to do anything right…even personally." He nudged her arm and gave her a look that plain disagreed. "I'm not a mistake, am I?" She couldn't help but smile and hit his arm playfully. "You know what I mean!" "Well, yeah! Everyone dips below standards sometimes, but it's not always on purpose. No one is perfect, Tara, not anyone. You can't always beat yourself up about everything. So you made some mistakes this past semester, welcome to the human race!" She looked down, hoping for something specific. "But do you think I'm any good?" "You're more than enough for me – I've seen you practice, so I should know!" There was laughter and a kiss, and after a little while Tara was feeling more comfortable in this place even if it was so close to the Academy.

"You're right, I do love it here."

**Please review or Abigail with high-kick you in the face... Jk, review if you'd like :)**


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